Chapel Hill Creative Arts District

Transcription

1 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill Creative Arts District Molly Martin, Avani Uppalapati, Kehinde Adeoti, Aneika Dickens 4/29/2014 Policy 698 Capstone Course 1

2 Introduction The Town of Chapel Hill and the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership would like to create a cultural arts district in the downtown area, which will be aimed at bringing economic benefits to the Town. The Town s Chamber of Commerce has visited Bloomington, Indiana, to understand the potential for an arts district and was impressed by Bloomington s Entertainment and Arts District. Similarly, there are many other towns across America that have initiated an arts focus in their community. To assist the Partnership in working towards the development of an arts district in Downtown Chapel Hill, this team has evaluated best practices from other communities similar to Chapel Hill, and gathered data regarding the economic effects of such a district to inform Chapel Hill s own proposal for increasing the arts presence in downtown. The team has also inventoried cultural arts assets in Chapel Hill, focusing on the University s assets. The expansion of a cultural arts district in Chapel Hill requires identification of the established cultural assets of the town s surrounding area, including the University, local business sector, population, tourism, and economic data. Researching other arts districts will help to identify promising ways to implement positive changes in the Town s own arts district based on its existing resources. The creation of a more established Chapel Hill arts district is a primary goal for the town of Chapel Hill. The Chapel Hill 2020 Comprehensive Plan, which highlights initiatives set by the Town Council, plans to capitalize on the many pre-existing quality institutions and assets in Chapel Hill. One of the Big Ideas for the future within this initiative is to create entertainment/dining/arts hubs to capitalize on Chapel Hill s strengths as a cultural arts destination. Under the Comprehensive Plan, a series of themes for implementing an expansive 2

3 and interactive Chapel Hill depend upon developing a cultural arts sector in the area. Our work seeks to expand on the ideas presented with these themes, particularly those that directly correspond with the goals of the proposed arts district: Theme 1: A Place for Everyone This theme was designed with the focus on a diverse and inclusive environment that is family friendly and supports the arts, among other sectors. Theme 2: Community Prosperity and Engagement The group that developed this theme focused on creating a well-connected community, in part by ensuring a vibrant economy for the Town by supporting existing and new businesses. The case studies we researched provide examples of how those goals have been realized through arts-driven economic development. Theme 6: Town and Gown Collaboration The University and the UNC Health Care System are incredible assets to the Town and the individuals who developed this theme proposed greater collaboration between the town and those entities to allow the Town to better utilize the intellectual and financial resources of the University. The asset map of cultural arts venues and organizations on the UNC campus provides a valuable basis for expanding the coordination of on-campus arts assets with those of the Town. As is evident, the Town has a strong focus on creating a lasting place for the arts in the community. We believe that University and Town collaboration is critical for launching a cultural arts district that has the potential to foster economic prosperity. This type of cooperation can be beneficial in identifying and marketing the area as a whole and/or sub-districts within the 3

4 cultural area. Our Team aims to aid the Town and the Partnership by providing necessary research that relevant parties can use and build upon in developing the cultural arts district in downtown Chapel Hill. Goals The team had two main goals for this project: 1. Research arts districts in towns similar to Chapel Hill and gather information on how they developed, as well as their best practices and failures. 2. Create an arts asset map that the Town of Chapel Hill can use in further developing a successful cultural arts district by accounting for existing resources. Researching arts districts in towns comparable to Chapel Hill enabled us to gather information on best practices and subsequently use them as possible models and sources of promising ideas for constructing a cultural district in Chapel Hill. The team considered how the towns used their assets to develop their own districts, how they continue to administer their arts initiative, any hurdles they faced in implementing the district. In addition to researching these arts districts, the team assisted the client by performing a community arts assets inventory, focusing on the publicly available cultural arts assets of the UNC campus and complementing the work of the Town s Thorpe Intern, Emily Bowe, who is conducting such an inventory simultaneously for the downtown area. Part 1: Asset Mapping Process: The process of creating an asset map involved ascertaining the various cultural arts venues and organizations that are located on the UNC Campus. Many of these assets include various arts-based university organizations and venues, as well as various student organizations. 4

5 In collecting all of the different types of assets into an identifiable bundle, we were able to discover the potential for expanding the coordination of on-campus assets with those pre-existing within the town of Chapel Hill. There is the potential for a mutually beneficial relationship in developing a Chapel Hill Cultural District, which ranges from simple identification of assets within the town limits to particular marketing purposes. We have gathered descriptive data for the arts-related assets on campus. For each venue we gathered several different details such as location, capacity, availability, contact information, and other key points. The rationale behind utilizing these particular statistics was their potential to be useful indicators for the Town for future use as with for example, identifying student groups and university venues they could utilize for festivals and other events. What was also an important part of the rationale of identifying assets of the town and university was to consider what is actually considered an arts asset and what is not. Our definition of an arts asset was Any avenue of artistic expression that is producing value. This opens up the doors for consideration of more arts assets that are available than are typically thought about. Utilizing this definition we were able to catalogue assets such as the art gallery located within the Student Union as well as the Center for Dramatic Arts, which would represent a typical place that most would consider an arts asset. When picking places that can serve as arts venues we were very cautious not to rule anything out. For instance, an area such as the quads and the lecture halls throughout campus are all considered valuable arts assets. As an additional step, we have identified student-run arts organizations located throughout the campus. Much of the particular data we choose to analyze with this included their specific arts mission, and their contact information. Another rationale behind our search involved demonstrating the types of arts and entertainment that are currently available. This simply helps to show the variety of arts 5

6 assets that are available which is only strengthened by the town s proximity to the campus. There is definitely an opportunity to capitalize on arts assets that already exist. Lastly, our intention was that our assets spreadsheet be utilized for future planning and marketing of Chapel Hill arts activities. The data collection should be utilized in a way so that the breadth and range of available arts assets can be reached by a larger audience than is being reached now. As an added visualization, we have constructed a map of the arts assets on UNC Campus as well as combined this information with the assets located throughout the town. Our hopes in completing this task were based upon the conception that most citizens do not have available information about the magnitude of assets that already exist within Chapel Hill community and university. This also particularly helps with potential districting and marketing purposes that will benefit both areas at large as well as help future visitors understand where the assets are concentrated in Chapel Hill. An interactive mapped visualization of these data, which includes Thorpe Intern Emily Bowe s asset inventory of downtown Chapel Hill, can be found at 6

7 Part 2: Best Practice Models Process: To identify comparable towns to research, we surveyed recipients of the National Endowment for Arts (NEA) grants and ArtPlace America grants in The cities and towns were narrowed down based on size, location, and the arts initiative that was being funded by the grant. We attempted to select places that were similar to Chapel Hill in population, also had a strong university presence, and nearby cities that provided a dynamic similar to that of the Triangle area. We found that some of the most successful, or interesting initiatives were taking place in larger cities like Boston, or Bloomington, and also smaller cities like Salisbury, North Carolina. After talking with our clients Meg McGurk, Executive Director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership and Jeff York, Public and Cultural Arts Administrator in the Town s Parks & Recreation Department, we gathered that Chapel Hill was interested in further developing cultural arts festivals, possibly having a central cultural arts area in downtown and developing an open green space, which downtown currently lacks, for performances or other cultural activities. We also learned about the redevelopment plans for University Square, a central part of downtown. As we considered placed to research, we kept the aforementioned 7

8 information in mind and chose a list of about ten cities and initiatives that we felt could serve as best practice models. These selections were then further narrowed down with help from Mr. York and the final four models were chosen: Bloomington, IN, Salisbury, NC, Shreveport, LA, and Boston, MA. We began to gather information and answer a set list of questions for each town based on our work plan. The questions were aimed to gather information about the process of the arts project s development, hurdles to its implementation, best practices, and economic impact. We narrowed down which questions we could not find answers to online and, for each town, found a contact that might be able to provide more information. With the contacts that responded from some of the towns, we then conducted phone interviews to ascertain additional information that would assist our understanding of the project. Finally, having gathered the answers to our questions, we used the information from our conversations with Mr. York and Ms. McGurk regarding Chapel Hill s desires, the asset mapping, and our best practice models to form our recommendations for Chapel Hill. Results: Bloomington The Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District (BEAD) in Bloomington, Indiana is a 60-block area in downtown that is a successful and thriving economic contributor to the town. The City received a $100,000 Our Town grant from the NEA. The City seeks to attract the business and creative sectors to advance commerce and culture. Similar to Chapel Hill, Bloomington has a strong university presence in its Town, in the form of Indiana University (IU), Bloomington. It is located along the edge of the BEAD area so is a little farther from its central downtown compared to UNC-Chapel Hill and its town, but is still a vibrant part of BEAD 8

9 and downtown. IU also is renowned for its strong music and theater programs - before BEAD itself, the University hosted around 1000 music performances in a year. As evident, Bloomington had a strong arts culture and developed the BEAD initiative to further its economic development. As it developed its arts district, the City considered community commerce (local economic development), community collaboration (between governmental, non-profit, and private organizations), community condition (quality of life issues, such as safety and public infrastructure), and community character (what makes Bloomington unique). The consideration of those four factors led to the creation of BEAD, the Bloomington Entertainment and Arts District. BEAD is a geographically defined, mixed-use cultural capital district capitalizing on local and regional assets specific to Bloomington. BEAD focuses on public art and exhibits, programming, and a citizen-driven Arts Commission that supports arts and cultural production through funding and other private and public partnerships. In downtown, certain areas are designated for particular uses called Character Areas such as Festival Streets, the Show District, Restaurant Row, Arts Row (where people can watch artists at work), and the B-Line Trail (which features art along a linear park and trail that cuts through downtown) among other areas. According to the Arts and Economic Prosperity IV Report (2012) for Bloomington, IN, in 2012, there have been substantial economic benefits for the city. Some of these benefits are highlighted in the chart below, which displays the revenue levels and number of jobs in Bloomington before and after the implementation of the BEAD initiative. Additionally, the report showed that arts attendees spend on average $20.82 per person per event in direct relation to the event. In addition, non-resident attendees spend an average of $40.11 in added value 9

10 compared to the $12.68 spent by local resident attendees, meaning, outside visitors spend 216% more in the process of attending cultural events in the City. BEFORE AFTER Non-profit Arts and Culture $44.5 Mil $72.3 Mil Local and State Government $3.2 Mil $6.3 Mil Jobs 1,250 3,430 Salisbury Salisbury, North Carolina was selected because this city recently received a 2013 NEA grant of $25,000. This grant will support master planning for the Salisbury Centerpiece. The Salisbury Centerpiece will be a multi-use cultural plaza in downtown Salisbury. The site they plan to use is currently a one-acre parking lot next to the Historic Salisbury Railway Station (Figure 1.). Once the centerpiece is completed, it will host rotating sculpture exhibits, weekend art shows, improvisational theater, community concerts and other cultural gatherings. According to City Manager Doug Paris, the goal of this initiative is to bring the community together and foster a sense of place in the town of Salisbury. This city is hoping to use the Salisbury Centerpiece to support a higher quality of life for its citizens. They are hoping that this cultural asset will serve as a resource that will incentivize people who work in surrounding areas or in Salisbury to move to this area instead of commute from other areas. The hope is that this will bring economic benefits to the area, as more people choose to make Salisbury their home. The 10

11 Salisbury Centerpiece will serve as a valuable amenity that will attract people from surrounding communities, as well as serve those already living in Salisbury. Salisbury is currently in the environmental assessment phase of this project. This means that while they do have a design for the eventual centerpiece (Figure 2.), they are still working to take the necessary environmental precautions before beginning reconstruction. While information demonstrating the results before and after this project is not yet available, the Salisbury Centerpiece is an exciting and unique model to look to for ideas regarding the development of cultural arts in Chapel Hill. Figure 1. Figure 2. 11

12 Shreveport Shreveport, Louisiana received a $240,000 grant from ArtPlace America to help it develop UNSCENE!, a program that is part of the City s arts initiative and is supported by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council. UNSCENE! is a unique project that can be a model for programs in Chapel Hill, and the larger arts vision of Shreveport is equally relevant to Chapel Hill s proposal of an arts district. The City of Shreveport heavily involved stakeholders, such as residents, investment partners, and various business owners throughout the process of building an arts program aimed at stimulating the economy. The City s visioning process for the Common and arts in Shreveport spanned across a year and heavily included input from various stakeholders. The City held listening sessions with over 60 neighboring businesses and property owners. A mayor-appointed Advisory Committee of 50 stakeholders and experts met every three weeks to provide input in the development process. Town and Arts Council members went doorto-door to seek residents input and talk with them about the initiative. After gaining substantial buy-in from local stakeholders and residents, the City developed the Shreveport Common in a 9-block area as a cultural gathering place. In order to maintain community input in the process, the Arts Council held meetings at convenient times - such as during lunches, or in the evenings, and often provided food to sustain interest. While food can be 12

13 a cost concern, Shreveport did not make elaborate food preparations, but rather provided simple food that individuals could put together for meals of their choice. They also heavily involved local artists in the process and asked them to create visions of potential projects or arts events in the town. The work of gathering community voices to create the Common may seem timeconsuming, however, the City benefited from the continued interest in the arts that helped to make the Common a success. So far, the Common area has seen a 12% increase in property value. Chapel Hill already has strong community involvement so that kind of a measure would be the next natural step to creating a truly inclusive and diverse cultural district in the Town. On the first Saturday of each month, the Shreveport Arts Council hosts UNSCENE!, a daylong festival which features a nationally renowned artist in a field ranging from the culinary arts to design. This allows local artists to learn and grow from the interaction, as well as builds infrastructure for continued community involvement in the arts. The festival is hosted in the 9- block Common area. There is also an arts marketplace at UNSCENE!, where various local artists can sell their art and build a client base. However, a concern is whether enough artists have art to sell that month. Another concern, is how to delineate who can be considered an artist. To address that concern, the Arts Council created an artist s directory and is having outside critics review the work of local artists and decide which ones are professional-grade. Another concern is the weather. Since the City invites national artists to the event and expects to draw numerous attendees, it has to host the event rain or shine; therefore, it is important to make contingency plans for that scenario. The event has much potential not only to draw locals to the event but also to attract out-of-town visitors to the area, thus stimulating the surrounding City economy. 13

14 Boston Boston recently began hosting a biannual event called ArtWeek. To support the project, ArtPlace America provided the City with a grant of $151,368. ArtWeek is a 10-day event in which residents and visitors can experience the diverse cultural atmosphere of Boston. While it is officially an initiative of the Citi Performing Arts Center and the Highland Street Foundation, multiple private, public, and academic organizations in the city partner to host the event. Some partners include Boston College, American Islamic Congress, Boston University College of Fine Arts, SouthEnd Library, some high schools, individual artists, and other venues and organizations. Featured events include dance workshops, wine and design, and performances by local and international artists. The price of the programs range from free to $50 allowing wide access to the programs. ArtWeek is unique in that it utilizes pre-existing assets and builds connections between these assets and community organizations to host this twice-a-year event. For example, one of the events during Art Week in April-May 2014 was a storytelling competition for high-schoolers, hosted at a public library, by an organization called StoriesLive which focuses on teaching highschoolers the art of developing narrative through their stories. Further, the City capitalizes on the 14

15 many University resources available by utilizing their spaces, as well as hosting performances by the student groups and University organizations during ArtWeek. The event aims to allow residents and tourists the chance to explore the cultural and entertainment scene in Boston. Recommendations 1. University Square could be modeled after the Salisbury Centerpiece design with a central green area for use by both University organizations and the community. The design for University Square incorporates a green space and this is an asset that downtown Chapel Hill does not currently possess. We recommend that this space be utilized in a similar way as the Salisbury Centerpiece. The space could host outdoor sculpture exhibits or other outdoor art, dance performances etc. This could serve as a space that brings the University and local community together in one area, centered on the cultural arts. Also, because of the desire for support during summer months when fewer students are in Chapel Hill, this outdoor space could be utilized heavily in the summer months and foster tourism during that time of year. Emily Bowe discovered there was a lack of dance space within walking distance on Franklin Street, apart from those on the University s campus, and this area could also serve to provide part of this missing asset. 2. Implement recurring arts festivals and events, similar to UNSCENE! in Shreveport, LA to improve local arts culture and to attract steady tourism to the town. Recurring arts festivals would help establish a culture and an identifiable image for the Town. Residents and tourists alike would recognize that Chapel Hill is known for a certain festival, or for hosting multiple diverse festivals, depending on how the Town chooses to brand itself. These festivals would be a place for community member to gather and interact with artists, as they have been in the cases we highlighted. Helping artists sell their art in a marketplace, 15

16 similar to the one that takes place during UNSCENE!, would integrate them more fully into the fabric of Chapel Hill and provide more visibility for the arts, as well as provide a sustainable living environment for them. Student art organizations can also be incorporated into the festivals by allowing student artists to be featured, and by creating spaces for local artists, students, and residents to interact. Individuals from the surrounding Triangle Area would also be drawn to Chapel Hill on these festival days, helping the economy of local businesses. There are various venues that can be used for these festivals without making large negative impacts on the traffic flow - examples include Church Street, Porthole Alley, and other areas connecting Rosemary St. and Franklin St., and/or those near the border of the University and downtown Chapel Hill. 3. Enhance the visibility and accessibility of existing parking structures and spaces to attract residents and visitors from out of town to enjoy the arts and culture events. Chapel Hill has a reputation for not necessarily having the easiest parking available to visitors. Accessible parking in other towns we have researched has helped them to draw and keep visitors in the city, maximizing visitors added value by making it easier for them to enjoy other local businesses. For example, Bloomington has three huge parking decks with an art theme (ex: sculpture deck, which has sculptures at different entrances) in each of them, making them easily identifiable. This reduces confusion for visitors and integrates art successfully into diverse parts of downtown. Chapel Hill has some parking spaces in downtown, but the ones on Franklin Street are few and do not support the numbers of visitors we could receive. Some other lots are unknown as public parking so they need to be better advertised, either with a marketing technique similar to Bloomington s, or some other method. While the University has a few parking decks, they are farther away from Franklin St. than would be ideal for local businesses to enjoy the added value from visitors. Therefore, Franklin Street should have various parking 16

17 decks spread across the length of East and West Franklin Street, and strategically located within walking distance of the major attractions. 4. Create character districts using the model from BEAD, but with defining Chapel Hill characteristics. After looking at the asset mapping from downtown Chapel Hill and the University, we noticed that there are areas with unique characteristics in Chapel Hill. For example, East Franklin Street has maintained many historic buildings and is filled with a variety of businesses, restaurants and retail stores, within the walls of these older buildings. The characteristic that stands out is the area s ability to maintain the historic part of Franklin Street buildings. We decided that this could be considered the Historic District. The University is also a part of this district, because it has also maintained many historic buildings. This district contains a variety of attractions, but the theme of maintaining history is more prevalent here than in other parts of Franklin Street. The next district that stood out to us is located along West Franklin Street. It is clear from Emily Bowe s asset map that a large concentration of culinary establishments are located in this area. For this reason, we decided that this area could be characterized as the Restaurant District. The area holds both fine dining and casual places to enjoy a meal. This district spans from where Mallette Street intersects with Franklin westward to where Franklin Street turns into Carrboro, as you can see from the diagram below (Figure 5). Another district that we saw from looking at the asset map was the central 140 West area. The center of this area is Church Street (Figure 5). We felt that this serves as a good central space between the East and West Franklin areas, where we saw distinct characteristics. This area has fewer assets than the two ends of Franklin Street and could serve as a middle ground 17

18 between the two. The area is already being opened up as public space in the small courtyard outside of Lime and Old Chicago. With the redevelopment of University Square, which will have a public outdoor space as well as parking decks, it could be a great place for people to start off on their visit to Franklin Street as well as for outdoor cultural and community events. At this location they can get to both East and West Franklin easily because they are within walking distance from this area. Rosemary Street was the final area we noticed as a potential district. Rosemary Street has been envisioned as an area for development and new businesses by the Rosemary Imagined plan. This concept is compatible with our character districts because we see this as an area with a lot of opportunity for growth. There are fewer assets along this road and there are not many locations where a pedestrian can cut through to Rosemary from Franklin Street. By developing this area and increasing the flow of traffic between Franklin Street and Rosemary, an entirely new district could emerge. Another appealing aspect of having character districts is that it allows different parties involved to remain happy. Identifying character districts does not require redevelopment of any areas, it simply enhances and draws attention to the existing characteristics of downtown Chapel Hill. The community members that want to maintain the history of the area do not have to worry about redevelopment of the historic district, because that is the characteristic being kept alive in that area. Also, those on the other end of the spectrum that want to see redevelopment can turn to Rosemary and the opportunities there. Another area with distinct characteristics is Carrboro, which flows directly off of Franklin Street. This area already has a strong arts scene and could maintain this scene and become its own unique district as well. Visitors to Chapel Hill could be directed to visit the 18

19 Carrboro district and Carrboro visitors could enjoy the benefits of the unique areas of Chapel Hill as well. This partnership could enhance the experience of visitors to both of these towns by allowing for the natural flow from Franklin Street to Carrboro to be utilized as a part of a greater theme of character districts. 5. Utilize map for potential grant purposes as well as for keeping track of assets moving forward. As has been demonstrated by the sheer volume of the assets that we have presented, many of these arts assets are not as well-known as they could be, inhibiting their potential to help benefit the development of a cultural arts district within Chapel Hill. The list could also serve as the basis for a potential interactive map and, would be a viable tool to be utilized by citizens interested in arts expansion in Chapel Hill. The vastness and variety of assets we have compiled demonstrate that Chapel Hill is indeed rich in its arts opportunities. Another viable option for updating the assets information is through utilizing the UNC Student Life web page that is only accessible to students. The specific task of accessing the database and updating the information with the assets map could be completed in the future by the Thorpe Intern. This recommendation 19

20 minimizes the worry of who should maintain and update the assets lists. Regular upkeep will maintain the accuracy of the data and provide ease of access for the important arts asset information. 6. Creating a joint marketing and mapping strategy would be useful in generating contact between the two areas; identifying their shared potential. A web-based structure to advertise art events and provide information regarding venue availability to artists should be considered. One conclusion that can be drawn from this joint mapping is that while Franklin and West Rosemary Street and the surrounding areas have a large number of cultural and arts creative enterprises, the campus has far more actual arts performance and display venues. Given the limits of available arts spaces on Franklin and West Rosemary Street, coordination between these areas and the UNC Campus will be extremely beneficial in generating a cultural district as more space will be available for the arts in Chapel Hill. There is also significant opportunity to further campus and community involvement in arts activities in each respective area through cross-collaboration promotion methods. The map helps maintain a collective list of the arts assets so that when people visit the town they know what events they could potentially attend, and gaining an idea of where the highest concentration of arts assets are located becomes a more simplified process. 7. Establishing a Student coordinator position under the Carolina Union Activities Board or UNC Student Life on campus. A student coordinator position under the Carolina Union Activities Board or UNC Student Life should be considered for communication with the Chapel Hill Arts Commission and the Downtown Partnership for venue spaces and possible joint sponsorship of events. A student in this position could help to maintain an updated list of student-run arts organizations and to 20

21 engage them as appropriate in joint programming with Town arts initiatives. This could help generate a greater sense of community among local businesses, student organizations and, art lovers. 8. A significant proposal would be to create more engagement with this group in terms of local art plans like Chapel Hill Under the UNC Student Government, there is a Town and External Relations Cabinet that coordinates with the Town. The Student Government can complete the task of advertising specific art district development plans of Chapel Hill, as well as arts events, for additional campus and Chapel Hill community involvement. This helps to bridge the gap in knowledge about community events, and also helps the town to understand what may be occurring at the university. What is even more important is that it helps to work towards better collaboration between the university and the community at large. Summary A downtown arts district is both a potentially viable action for Chapel Hill to take and an option with great potential cultural and profitable benefits. Best Practices from other towns help us to conceptualize just where the efforts of concentration should be in creating the district as well as the ways in which other towns obtained their success. A detailed assets map of the university s venues and some of its student organizations, in conjunction with data pertaining to the town at large, are useful for conceptualizing how many assets truly exist as well as providing the basis necessary for suggesting the creation of an arts district. In moving forward, it will be important to maintain momentum in this project, as well as appeal to the fact that that Chapel Hill is a culturally and artistically dense town that could benefit in many ways from the creation of its own cultural district. 21

22 References Bloomington Shreveport Wendy Benscoter Project Manager, Shreveport Common for Shreveport Regional Arts Council and City of Shreveport Community Liaison, Louisiana Creative Communities Initiative Louisiana Representative, National Consortium for Creative Placemaking (318) Salisbury City Manager Doug Paris (704) Boston